


First Kiss

by spacedaydreamer



Category: Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, of that night in altimira, some bittersweet fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-08
Updated: 2017-03-08
Packaged: 2018-10-01 06:51:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10183313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacedaydreamer/pseuds/spacedaydreamer
Summary: Emil had never been kissed before, or even seen a kiss before. However, if they brought a smile to her face, then he was certain that he liked them.





	

“Then I guess, after this… we’ll never see each other again?”

Emil was staring at the horizon, watching the moonlight reflecting off the waves. It was surprisingly quiet out, the only voice talking was Marta’s. When she spoke, he gave her a sad smile- it wasn’t like he could tell her his plans, so it was the next best thing.

“Yeah…”

She stayed silent for a while, then turned at him with fists clenched.

“Tell me something, how can you just stand there and act so _calm_ about all this?! Do I… do I really not mean anything to you?”

Any potential anger near-instantly melted from her face, as her shoulders started to shake. Emil knew that he had to do something, _anything_ , but… what could he possibly do? What could he possibly do for her, especially when he _knew_ that he was planning to betray her trust? It tore him to pieces to watch her cry, but he felt like he had no right to comfort her.

“Look, Marta… I didn’t mean it like-“

He was cut off before he could say anything more by the force of Marta grabbing onto his chest, her arms wrapped tightly around him as she started to cry. All his resolve crumbled as the guilt piled up and he gently returned her hug, softly rubbing her back.

“Emil, I… I want to _stay_ with you. I don’t care if you’re a summon spirit… I know who you _really_ are. You’ve always tried your best, no matter what, and that’s the Emil I love.”

“Marta…” He could feel dampness on his chest from her tears, and he knew he was freezing up. It took him a moment, but he knew that now wasn’t the time for guilt, or worry, or anything else. Now was just time for the two of them- at least for these few, fleeting moments, he could believe in their happiness together. “I… I don’t know what to say. You’ve always been there for me, ever since the beginning. You believed in me, and just… Marta, I love-“

More than anything, he was confused by what happened next. Marta had pulled back from the hug and reached up, pulling Emil down a bit by the scarf. Before he could react at all, she’d pushed her lips up against his, in a surprisingly gentle motion from someone who always came across as so energetic. His eyes widened in confusion for a second, then softened.

“Emil… why do you look so surprised?”

“H-huh?”

“Well, it’s just… you looked confused.”

She was giggling, and there was a smile on her face. Emil could tell that he was blushing, and he looked to the side quickly.

“W-well, it’s just… I’ve never been kissed before…”

And beyond that, he really didn’t have any memories of seeing people kiss either. His ‘memories’ as Emil were mostly vague at best, and his aunt and uncle weren’t very openly affectionate. That had always just been normal to him- but then again, Marta did love to challenge what he called normal, didn’t she? He couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at that thought, which brought a pout to her face.

“Hey, what are you thinking about? Nothing bad, I hope.”

“No, it’s just… I feel like it’s fitting, that the first time I even see a kiss… is with you Marta.”

It was her turn to look surprised now, a clear blush on her face as she started to sway side to side like she always did when embarrassed.

“Oh, you tease…”

Despite her words, she was smiling. It was bright and happy, and Emil decided that it would be his comfort. No matter what happened, he would _always_ be there to protect her smile. Even if he could only be there in spirit, in her memories… he would give everything to see her smile.

“I love you, Marta.”

“I love you too, Emil.”

**Author's Note:**

> this was inspired by some twitter conversations between a few people reacting to the DotNW novel picture where Emil and Marta are about to kiss, the thought of Emil having no idea what kissing was really like was just so sweet to me that I had to write something.


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